Cicero and the Listener
by Korah-Zombie
Summary: The fateful decision made one winter day in Windhelm forever changed Mordelia's life. This is the story of Mordelia's adventures, and falling out, with the Dark Brotherhood and how she came to meet the Fool of Hearts, Cicero.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first ever Skyrim fanfiction! Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment, I love comments.**

**WARNING - contains MAJOR spoilers for the Dark Brotherhood quest line as well as minor spoilers for Thieve's Guild quest line**

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Ever since that snowy day in Windhelm, her life had never been the same...

Mordelia overheard two guards saying strange things about some Aretino boy.

"Did you hear what the Aretino boy is doing?" One of the guards whispered.

"Yeah! Gives me the shivers to think of it." The other guard replied, actually shivering. Whether from the cold or from the Aretino boy, she wasn't sure.

As she approached, the guards ceased their conversation to glare at her. She was, after all, a Dunmer in a Nord city.

"Excuse me." Mordelia said innocently as she walked over, "I couldn't help but overhear. Maybe I could be of assistance?"

The two guards continued to glare at her in silence until she thought they hadn't heard her. Mordelia was about to repeat herself when one of the guards finally spoke.

"Maybe she could be of use." The first guard said. "There's no harm in trying."

The second guard softened his glare a bit. "Alright, you may try. All you have to do is go to that house over there" -he pointed to a large house spanning the road- "and convince the boy inside to go back to the Riften Orphanage."

"Simple." She said. _What's so bad about an orphan? Poor kid._

The guards laughed and walked off.

"Good luck traveler." The first guard said over his shoulder.

Thoroughly confused at what could be so bad about the boy that the guards were making him leave, Mordelia walked over to the house and tried the door.

Locked.

_ Good thing I'm friends with the Khajiit caravans. _Mordelia carefully picked the lock and went inside.

At first glance the house seemed vacant; cobwebs in the corners and dust coating any available surface. Then she saw a glow emanating from a doorway to her right.

Out of that doorway came not only light, but a sound. The sound of a child chanting;

_Sweet Mother, Sweet Mother. Send your child unto me. For the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear._

Shivering inwardly, Mordelia drew her blade and crept towards the doorway.

What greeted her eyes shocked her; sitting on the floor was a young boy. In front of him lay a skeleton, and a few other items, all surrounded by candles.

Mordelia let out a startled noise that caught the boys attention.

The boy turned around to face her, joy sparkling in his eyes. "You've come! It actually worked!" The boy stood up. "Now you can kill Grelod!" He gave Mordelia a questioning look. "You are the Dark Brotherhood, right?"

_The Dark Brotherhood. Haven't I heard that name before?_ Mordelia sheathed her blade and decided to go along with the boy. _After all, he's just a kid. How bad can this be._

"Yes, of course I am." She replied to the boy's question.

The boy smiled. "Good. I have a contract for you."

"Contract?" _Oh, no. What have I gotten myself into._

"Yes. I need you to go to Riften and kill Grelod the Kind. She runs the Honorhall Orphanage."

"Why should I do this?" It probably wasn't proper for her to ask questions, but Mordelia needed to know why she was doing this.

"Because she is a horrible person. She always makes us orphans work. Everyone in Riften has taken to calling her Grelod the Kind out of fear she'll get mad at them. So will you accept the contract?"

Mordelia let the words sink in before giving her answer. "I accept."

"Oh thank you!" The boy clapped his hands in merriment.

Mordelia left the Aretino boy in his happy mood and decided to start for Riften immediately. It would take her at least a week to travel by horse to Riften, and she was on foot.

Before leaving Windhelm, Mordelia bought a few extra arrows and "borrowed" some jewels from a vendor. On her way to Riften, she would stop at Ivarstead and sell some of her "borrowed" items to a fence. Being a part-time thief had its advantages. She also wanted to stop in Ivarstead to see if the Khajiit caravan was around; she was running low on lockpicks.

After making a few hundred septims in Ivarstead, Mordelia made her way to Riften.


	2. Chapter 2

**Another chapter! Please leave a comment if you liked it! Criticism is always welcome as well.**

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Five days and many bandits later, Mordelia finally reached Riften. The sun was low in the sky and cast golden rays over the town, making Riften look like a rich city. But she knew it was just the opposite. Riften was home to the Thieves' Guild.

Sure, she'd once been part of the Thieves' Guild, until Mercer had tried to kill her. But that's a whole 'nother story.

As Mordelia approached the Riften gate one of the guards stopped her.

"Excuse me." He said. "You have to pay the visitor's tax before I can let you in the city."

"Visitor's tax?" Mordelia gave the guard a doubtful look. She'd already had this scam pulled on her before. "What visitor's tax? This is obviously a shakedown."

The guard shifted uneasily. "Alright, alright. Keep your voice down." He whispered. "Let me unlock the gate."

Satisfied, Mordelia walked into Riften.

Riften is a confusing place to say the least. The wooden path through the city is dirty and overshadowed by houses and inns. In the central courtyard is a market; beggars tend to frequent there. The only pleasant place in Riften is the Temple of Mara.

Mordelia stopped inside the temple and made an offering of a few septims. She had a soft spot for Lady Mara.

As she was descending the temple steps, she spotted what she was here for; Honorhall Orphanage.

_Should I wait until it's dark? Or should I go in now and scout it out. _Mordelia decided to go with the latter option.

Before entering the orphanage, she made sure to stow what weapons she could in her pack; so she seemed a little less formidable. _If only I hadn't worn my Nightingale armour._

Immediately upon entering a young woman approached Mordelia saying, "I'm sorry, but you have to leave."

Ignoring her, Mordelia tried to probe for information. "Excuse me, but would you happen to be Grelod?"

The young woman seemed highly uncomfortable with Mordelia's presence. "No, Grelod is busy. You should leave."

Mordelia was slightly relieved this poor woman wasn't Grelod. "I can't leave without at least seeing the children." She pressed. "I am looking to adopt you see."

The woman became even more fidgety, looking almost frantic. "Please," She almost begged, "Go. None of the children are up for adoption. Try somewhere else."

Mordelia sighed in mock misery. "Alright." She let a small tear trickle down her cheek before leaving. Once outside, she quickly wiped away the tear and made her way to the Ratway, home of the Thieves' Guild. She still needed to buy some lockpicks.

As usual, the Ratway was littered with the riffraff of Riften; beggars, thieves, madmen, and of course skeevers. Skeevers are filthy creatures, Mordelia once caught a case of Ataxia from one.

Soon enough she was "safe" at the Ragged Flagon. No one is ever truly safe in the Ratway.

"What are you doing back here lass?" That all to familiar voice asked.

"Hello, Brynjolf." Mordelia said scornfully. She wasn't overly fond of Brynjolf, too full of himself if you asked her. "Is Tonilia around?"

Brynjolf sighed and pointed to Tonilia sitting with Delvin at the bar. "You know, we could still use your skill lass." He said seriously.

"You know what the answer will be and my reasons behind it, so don't bother." Mordelia walked over to the bar and sat down on an empty stool next to Tonilia.

Tonilia looked up from her conversation with Delvin as Mordelia sat down. "Well, look who we have here. Never thought I'd see you here again, Mordelia."

"Yes, what brings you here? Come to cheer up old Delvin?" Delvin said.

"I need some lockpicks, Tonilia. And advice." Mordelia said. She grabbed a bottle of mead off the counter and opened it, taking a drink.

"Sure, I'll get some for you before you leave. Now about this advice." Tonilia said.

"I'm not sure how to put this nicely, but what is the easiest way to kill someone without them seeing you or raising an alarm?"

Tonilia and Delvin sat in silence for a few moments. It was Delvin who responded.

"Well... Wouldn't a bow be easiest?" He said.

"Yes, but what about in an enclosed area?" Mordelia added.

This time is was Tonilia who spoke, "This sounds more Dark Brotherhood than Thieves' Guild to me. Are you planning on murdering someone?"

Before Mordelia could decide how to respond, Tonilia spoke again in a whisper, "The cleanest and simplest way that I can think of is a dagger in the back. But that would require extreme stealth." She paused in thought. "Unless they were sleeping."

"Who are you planning on killing anyway?" Delvin asked. "Mercer's already dead, so who else is there?"

"I have a contract." Mordelia said to Delvin. Turning her eyes towards Tonilia she said, "Catching them asleep sounds like the best plan. Thank you, both of you." She looked at both of them in acknowledgement. "Can I get my lockpicks now?"

"Yes, I'll just be a moment." Tonilia got up and went through a secret door at the back of the Ragged Flagon, leaving Delvin and Mordelia alone at the bar.

"We miss you around here." Delvin said suddenly.

"You mean, Etienne misses me." Mordelia said coldly. It was no secret among the Thieves' Guild that while she was there Etienne had become fond of her. After all, she had rescued him from the Thalmor. When Mordelia decided to leave the Guild, Etienne begged her to reconsider. She refused to stay, and hadn't seen him since that day. Occasionally, however, Mordelia gets gifts of septims from the couriers from an unknown sender. "How is he?" Mordelia asked quietly.

"Good. Making the Guild money." Delvin said. They sat in awkward silence for a few moments.

Delvin looked up. "Ah! Here comes Tonilia. Well, nice seeing you again Mordelia." He got up from his stool to leave.

"Wait!" Mordelia said, grabbing Delvin's arm. "Tell Etienne thank you for me." She let Delvin go with a word of farewell and paid Tonilia. Then she left the Ragged Flagon, back to the streets of Riften.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was setting and the moon was rising, bathing the street in a silvery light. Now Mordelia was thankful to have worn her Nightingale armour; it was pure black with no metal to reflect the moonlight.

The Honourhall Orphanage wasn't far from the Ratway entrance, just a jot up some wooden stairs and over a bridge by the marketplace. All the windows in the orphanage were dark. Unfortunately, however, there was only one way in; through the front door. The back door was surrounded by a tall metal fence tipped with spikes.

Seeing no guards nearby, Mordelia slowly crept up to the front door, trying to keep in the shadows as much as possible. Before she attempted to pick the lock, she held her ear against the door. Silence. She picked the lock as quickly and quietly as she could and was rewarded with a satisfying click. And she had only broken one lockpick. Mordelia was getting better at this lockpicking business. She swung the door open gently, remaining in a crouch, and snuck in.

It was dark, the only light was from the moonlight shining in through the windows. Mordelia was in what seemed to be the kitchen; there was a fireplace, a table, and a few cupboards. At the far end of the room was a door and on the left wall there was an opening to another room. Peeking into the room on the left, she saw a row of beds with kids sleeping on them and two more doorways. One of the doorways led outside into the fenced-in yard and the other opened onto a small office with a chair, desk, and shackles on the wall. _Poor kids..._

Everyone was asleep, making Mordelia's investigating much easier. But she still hadn't found Grelod. She went back to the only door she hadn't checked yet, the one in the kitchen. Inside the room was a bed, and on that bed was her target, sleeping soundly.

Mordelia took a deep breath and pulled out a dagger. She crept around to the bedside and before she could change her mind, plunged the dagger into Grelod's heart.

Immediately, Grelod's eyes snapped open and she let out a blood-chilling scream. Then she went limp and silent.

Mordelia quickly wiped her dagger on the blanket and slipped outside. Before she was even out the door, she heard footsteps and the sound of someone hastily lighting a match.

_She just had to scream._ Mordelia thought, irritated. It had all gone so well up to that point. 

Escaping from Riften was easy enough. The guards were very lax, especially at night, and there were plenty of shadows from the overhanging buildings to hide in.

When she left Riften, Mordelia made for Goldenglow Estate. She knew she would be safe there, after all, it was under Thieve's Guild control.

She fell asleep in one of the guard towers along the wall. 

Mordelia awoke early the next morning to get a good start back to Windhelm. This time she had no stops to make along the way; she simply wanted to get there and back home as fast as she could. 

Mordelia arrived in Windhelm six days later.

Rumour spreads fast. Upon entering Windhelm, she heard two Nords mention something about a murder in Riften.

"Some old lady who ran an orphanage." One of them was saying.

She smiled to herself and made her way to Aventus's house. 

Aventus was nibbling on a stale loaf of bread and leafing through a book when Mordelia walked in. He looked up in surprise and a smile quickly spread across his face.

"I knew you would do it!" He said in his excited little voice. "Here is your payment as promised." Aventus grabbed a silver plate from a shelf behind him and handed it to her.

"Don't worry," he said as Mordelia put the plate in her pack. "I'll go back to the orphanage in a few weeks. Once everything has settled down." He went back to his book as if nothing had happened.

As Mordelia was about to leave Windhelm, a courier ran up to her. How they always found her, she'd never know.

"Have something for you." He said. "Let's see..." He looked through his satchel. "Ah! Here it is." He handed her a yellowed piece of paper sealed with bright red wax and jogged off.

Mordelia turned the paper over in her hands, looking for any writing or marks that might tell her who it was from. She knew it wasn't from Etienne; he always sealed his letters to her with black wax. Strangely there were no marks anywhere.

Mordelia stepped into the shadows near the gate and opened the letter. Inside was simply a black hand print with the words, "We Know."

_This has got to be a mistake. _Mordelia thought. _Who knows what? I hope this doesn't have anything to do with Grelod's death._ She tucked the mysterious note into her pack and left Windhelm.

She was hoping to get to the Valtheim Towers before nightfall. Mordelia had recently cleared the towers of bandits and had claimed them as her new home, until she moved all the junk to Breezehome. 

It was well past sunset when she reached the Valtheim Towers, utterly exhausted. Mordelia tossed her pack on the ground and lay down on her bed; a pile of straw with pelts lain over the top. Soon, she was asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapters will be updated once a week. Please leave a review!**

Still half-asleep, Mordelia sat up and stretched, wincing as a knot in her back unraveled.

"Good morning sunshine." A silky voice said.

Mordelia snapped her eyes open and looked around her. She was no longer in the Valtheim Towers. Blood stains spattered the walls and floor of a small, one-room shack. Sitting on the top of an empty bookcase was a woman clothed in red and black, dangling her leg over the edge of the bookcase.

"Who are you?" Mordelia asked, standing up. She stretched her back and felt a satisfying pop. "Ahhh. Better." She sighed. She wasn't overly concerned about the woman. If worse came to worse, Mordelia could just blast her into the wall with a fireball.

The woman looked at Mordelia with a sparkle in her eyes and introduced herself. "I am Astrid. I represent the Dark Brotherhood."

"So you're here to kill me?" Mordelia asked nonchalantly.

The woman laughed. It was a cold, unfeeling laugh. "Of course not. You have a debt to pay us."

"For what?" Mordelia asked confused. She still felt groggy from sleep and the dark interior of the cabin wasn't helping. She crossed her arms.

"You took one of our contracts from us; therefore, you owe us a kill."

_This must be about Grelod._ "Okay. So who do you want me to kill?"

"That is for you to decide. Behind you are three captives. One has a contract. Decide which one that is and kill them." Astrid leaned back to watch Mordelia.

Mordelia huffed and turned around. Couldn't this Astrid just tell her who to kill, Mordelia had very little patience. She walked up to the captives. All three had burlap sacks tied over their heads with their arms bound behind them. One of the captives was protesting angrily. Mordelia went over to her first.

By her worn and patched dress and the roughness of her voice, Mordelia guessed this captive to be an old woman. _What should I say? _Mordelia thought. She'd never had to question someone about whether or not they had a contract on them. She thought a moment before asking the old woman, "Would someone pay to have you killed?"

"What?" The old woman stopped wriggling and tilted her covered head towards Mordelia. "Would someone pay to have me killed? What kind of a question is that? Why would someone want an old lady like me dead? Now let me go!" She screeched and began fussing with her bonds again.

Mordelia decided she seemed innocent enough and moved on to the next captive. This captive was a well-toned man who appeared to be sobbing. _What in Talos name is wrong with him?_

"Who are you?" Mordelia asked him.

"Fultheim the Fearless." The man relied quietly, sniffing his nose loudly.

"You don't seem very fearless to me." Mordelia taunted. "So why would someone want you killed, Fultheim?"

"I-I don't know." Fultheim wriggled uncomfortably.

"Oh come now. Surely someone with the name Fearless has done something?"

"I only left... It wasn't like I joined the Imperials!" Fultheim whined. He burst forth in a fresh round of tears.

"I see. You abandoned your army. You're not worth my time." Mordelia said disgusted. She moved on to the last captive.

_Last one. Hopefully he seems guilty of something or or poor Fultheim won't see the light of day again._

"What's a Khajiit doing here?" Mordelia asked the third captive, nudging his tail with her foot.

"I am Vasha, Khajiit crime lord." The Khajiit replied in his heavily accented voice.

"Would someone pay to have you killed?"

"Vasha would be insulted if they didn't." Vasha shifted towards my voice. "If you free Vasha, he could get you anything. Septims, skooma, maybe a nice ma-"

Vasha's words were cut short with a gurgle.

"I tired of your voice." Mordelia wiped her blade on the front of Vasha's exquisite robe and let him fall to the floor with a dull thud.

Mordelia turned back to Astrid. "There," She said, "I killed someone. Was I right?"

Astrid's black eyes twinkled down at Mordelia. "Who you killed wasn't important. You followed the order to kill and did a clean job of it. Well done. You are free to go. But why stop now? I invite you to join my little family." Astrid dropped a key into Mordelia's hand and told her the location of the Sanctuary. "And remember," Astrid said as Mordelia unlocked the shack's door, "Silence, my brother."

Mordelia left the shack without answering.

Outside, the sun was hidden behind an overcast sky, bathing the surrounding marshes in a hazy light.

_I may as well check this "family" out. If I don't like it I can always leave I suppose. _Mordelia replayed the instructions over in her head. _Go south to the Pine Forest. Look for a small pool of stagnant water and locate a door under a cliff of rock. _Mordelia sighed out loud. The Pine Forest was all the way in Falkreath. She rarely traveled in that Hold, so she didn't know her way around well.

"Might as well try and find it anyways." She said to herself. _Maybe I can stop by Helgen, kill a few bandits, make some Septims._

Suddenly Mordelia froze. She had heard a dragon.

"Not now." She said. Mordelia drew her bow and crept towards the cover of some bushes, scanning the sky as she moved.

High in the sky, and a few miles away, Mordelia spotted the dragon. It seemed to be circling over a certain area, letting out jets of fire from it's mouth.

Seeing that she was in no immediate danger, Mordelia stood and started her long walk to Falkreath. 

Mordelia made it to the Pine Forest in Falkreath in good time. Even though she stopped in Helgen, it only took her eleven days. Night was falling when Mordelia finally found the stagnant pool described by Astrid. Near the pool was a stone cliff, and in that stone cliff was a door. The door looked to be made of solid stone and had carvings of skeletons and a large skull in the middle of it.

Mordelia placed her hand on the door and tried to push it open.

"What is the music of life?"

Mordelia jumped back in surprise, almost hitting her head on the stone overhanging the door. _What was that?!_ A voice had seemingly come from the large stone skull on the door. Mordelia looked around, just to make sure there was no one around who could've spoken.

No one.

"Okay. Strange..." She placed her hand on the door again and braced herself, determined not to get scared again.

"What is the music of life." The voice repeated again. It was an ethereal voice, breathy and hoarse. It seemed to be everywhere around her, yet only in her head.

This time Mordelia succeeded in not jumping back in fright, although a small shiver went up her spine. _What am I supposed to do now? _Suddenly a phrase came back to her.

"Silence, my brother." Mordelia said aloud.

"Welcome home." The voice said. The stone door gave way under Mordelia's hand and swung inward. Mordelia walked through the doorway and down a small tunnel until she found herself in a small room with a low ceiling. The room was entirely made of stone. A table with a map of Skyrim spread across it was on the far wall, to the left was a doorway to another room. In front of Mordelia were shelves and bookcases containing a random assortment of items; nightshade flowers, books, weapons, and of course, skulls. The only light in the room came from an assortment of candles and lanterns scattered randomly about. Leaning against another doorway leading to a flight of steps, was Astrid.

"I see you decided to take me up on my offer." Astrid walked over to the shelves and grabbed a black and red bundle off of one of them. "Welcome to the Family." Astrid said, handing Mordelia the bundle. It was a set of armour similar to what Astrid wore.

"Thank you." Mordelia said, admiring the armour. It was black leather with red details. There was a pair of studded boots, body armour, gloves, and a black hood with a red mask. Mordelia found the overall effect of it to be quite beautiful. "How did you know I would come to find you?"

Astrid went back to leaning against the doorway. "I had a feeling. Someone like you doesn't shirk from such an offer. I'm working on a contract for you at the moment. Why don't you head down to the Grotto and find Nazir, I'm sure he could find something for you to do."

When Mordelia walked into the Grotto, everyone was gathered in a circle talking. Of course, Astrid hadn't bothered to explain who Nazir was. Was he the Argonian? Not likely, that didn't sound like a very Argonian name. How about the handsome Nord? Or maybe even the little girl with the black eyes? Mordelia decided to get closer and investigate.

At that moment the little girl was finishing a story. "Ahhh! Your teeth! You're a-" She made a sound mimicking someone dying.

Everyone laughed. A Dunmer wearing a hooded robe said, "Oh, Babette! How wicked!"

There was a lull in the conversation, so Mordelia took the her chance and approached the group.

"Excuse me." She said. All eyes were suddenly on her. The Nord growled menacingly. Mordelia swallowed, she wasn't used to being intimidated. "Which one of you is Nazir?"

"That would be me." A deep voice said behind her.

Mordelia turned to see a Redguard warming his hands over a fire. She hadn't noticed him when she walked in. She went over to Nazir, glad to be away from the eyes of the others.

"I take it you're our new member." Nazir said as Mordelia walked over.

"Yes." Mordelia replied. "Astrid told me to speak with you. She said you could find something for me to do while she prepares my contract."

"I have a few small contracts you can do." Nazir offered.

Everyone else went back to telling stories as Nazir explained Mordelia's contracts.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to everyone who has gotten this far! Our favourite Jester makes his appearance finally! Please leave a review, I would love to hear your thoughts.**

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Mordelia's first contract was Narfi; a beggar in Ivarstead with some unpaid debts. She simply waited until nightfall, then snuck into the abandoned house where he lived and slit his throat. Clean and simple.

Mordelia returned to the Sanctuary a few days later to collect her payment from Nazir. When she got to the Sanctuary, Mordelia noticed Astrid wasn't leaning against the wall in her usual place, or bending over the map on the table. _Odd. I wonder where she is._ Mordelia then heard Astrid's voice echoing up the steps leading to the Grotto.

Mordelia walked down the stone steps into the Grotto. The first thing her eyes fell upon were a large coffin standing upright at the edge of the pool. It was huge, taller than even the Nord, Arnbjorn, and made of chiseled grey stone. Astrid stood next to the coffin, arguing to someone Mordelia couldn't see.

"You and the Night Mother may stay. But I rule here and my word is law. Is that understood?" Astrid said icily. Whoever this other person was, Astrid obviously didn't like them.

"Yes, of course. The Night Mother thanks you." The unknown person replied. It sounded like a male with an abnormally high-pitched and comical voice.

"Good." Astrid caught sight of Mordelia watching and left the unknown person to talk with her, thus allowing Mordelia her first glimpse of the Fool of Hearts, Cicero. Mordelia found him quite strange looking. He was a good head shorter than her and dressed in a tattered and blood-stained jester's suit. There was an ebony dagger strapped to his belt, which glinted wickedly in the red-hued light as he turned his attention to the coffin. His overall effect was quite charming and amusing to Mordelia, but she sensed there was more to him than met the eye.

"I have a contract for you." Astrid's silky voice broke Mordelia's thoughts. "Talk with me when you're ready." Astrid started to walk off but was stopped by Mordelia's hand grabbing her arm.

"Who is that?" Mordelia asked quietly. She pointed to the strange man next to the coffin.

"Oh, him." A hint of disgust crept into Astrid's tone. "That's Cicero, Keeper of the Night Mother. Annoying little thing if you ask me. But we may as well get used to him, he'll be staying with us for a while." Seeing she had answered Mordelia's question, Astrid freed her arm and strode off.

Mordelia continued to stare at this strange man in confusion. She had never seen someone quite like him before. Her eyes shifted to the stone coffin beside him. _That must be the Night Mother. I wonder what's inside. _She shivered. _I don't think I want to find out._

Cicero suddenly turned and caught Mordelia staring at him. He gave her a quizzical look, tilting his head to one side and studying her intently.

"You must be a new member of the Family." Cicero said, approaching Mordelia with a carefree step. "Cicero hasn't seen you before."

"Yes." Mordelia said, a bit unnerved talking to him. She quickly glanced down at his dagger. _Did that cause all those blood-stains on his clothes? _"I am Mordelia. I just joined the Dark Brotherhood a few days ago."

"Oh, splendid!" Cicero said excitedly. "It's always nice to meet a new Brother or Sister!"

Mordelia couldn't help but smile at his child-like attitude. In an attempt to find out more about Cicero she asked, "Who is the Night Mother?"

Cicero's smile instantly disappeared from his lips and he looked directly into Mordelia's eyes. "You're joking." He said in a serious whisper. "Surely you must know that the Night Mother is the patron of the Dark Brotherhood? That she had the children of Sithis..." A dark gleam of amusement lit up Cicero's eyes. "and killed them. Just to please him! You must be joking!"

"Oh..." _How gruesome. _Mordelia hesitated. "Yes, of course. It was just a joke." She shifted, unsure whether trying to get to know Cicero was such a good idea after all.

Cicero laughed, his child-like demeanor returning. "Good joke!" He became serious once more. "Now Cicero is busy and must tend to the Night Mother. We will meet again soon! Cicero likes you, you're a funny one!" He turned to the coffin behind him and began to prepare it for whatever he had planned.

Mordelia went to find Astrid, her mind buzzing with Cicero's strange and erratic words.

"Are you alright?" Astrid asked Mordelia.

"Yes, I'm fine." Mordelia answered. She still felt overwhelmed by Cicero's strange behaviour, but was trying to shake it off. "You said you have a contract for me?" She asked.

"Yes, I do. Muiri in Markarth has performed the Black Sacrament. Your job is to go to Markarth and do whatever it is she asks of you. You'll find her at the Silverblood Inn. Since this is your first contract, I'll let you keep whatever coin you make." Astrid explained. "You may ask the others for advice if you like, just return to me when the job is done."

Markarth. More chaotic than Riften's Ratway.

Mordelia remember the first time she had visited the stone town; a lady was murdered in the middle of the street, then as she was walking down the street a Vigilant of Stendarr had stopped her and asked her if she knew anything about a certain house being haunted. Not to mention the multiple times she had been stopped by guards who warned her not to meddle in Forsworn business, or else. Fun memories.

This time, thankfully, no one was being stabbed as Mordelia walked through the gate and headed to the Silverblood Inn. She found Muiri sitting at a secluded table in the corner.

"The Dark Brotherhood has heard you." Mordelia said quietly as she sat down across from Muiri. She was inwardly thankful her new hood had a face mask. Mordelia didn't think she'd want her true appearance to be known to the public.

Muiri looked at Mordelia with wide, almost scared looking eyes. "I have a contract for you." She began in a small voice.

Mordelia remained silent, waiting for the details.

Muiri glanced around the room. There were only a few occupants, none within earshot. Muiri lowered her voice. "I need you to kill Alain Dufont. We were engaged once, but then I found out he was the leader of a band of cutthroats." Muiri dropped her eyes for a moment before continuing. "If you kill him I'll make it worth your time. I don't care what you do with the others."

_Others? Great, more to worry about. _"I accept your contract." Mordelia said.

"Great." Muiri seemed relieved. She told Mordelia the location of the target.

Mordelia set off to do the dirty work.


	6. Chapter 6

50 septims. 50 lousy, septims to clear out a bandit camp and kill a traitorous ex-lover. Mordelia was very disappointed as she dropped the coin into one of the leather pouches strapped to her hip. Well, as least Astrid said she could keep all she earned.

Mordelia took her time returning to the Sanctuary, she wanted to enjoy the fresh air after being in Raldbthar. She had a love-hate relationship with Dwarven ruins. She loved how unique and expansive each ruin was, yet she loathed finding that any Falmer or Chaurus had set up residence. The worst thing about Dwarven ruins, however, were if they were still active; Mordelia had some nasty burn scars from an encounter with a Dwarven Centurion.

At last, Mordelia made it back to the Sanctuary. She found Astrid waiting expectantly for her.

"There you are. I was wondering what was taking you so long." Astrid greeted her, none too friendly. Something seemed to be irritating her. "Did you get the job done?"

"Yes. The job went smoothly." Mordelia replied. She gave Astrid a curious look. "Is everything alright here?" She asked.

Astrid stared at Mordelia for a moment, judging her. _I suppose I can trust her. _"I have a 'personal' matter I think you'd be perfect to deal with."

"Oh?" Mordelia seemed a bit taken aback. _When did Astrid start confiding in me? Is this part of the Family aspect or something? _"What is it you want me to do?"

"It's that jester, Cicero." Astrid leaned closer. "I think he's up to something."

"What makes you say that?" Mordelia had her doubts about the trustworthiness of Cicero, he didn't seem the most stable person.

"I've been hearing hushed voices coming from the Night Mother's chamber. I need to know who he's talking to. What is he planning to do? I need you to eavesdrop on Cicero." Astrid explained.

"Eavesdrop on him? How am I supposed to do that? There aren't many places to hide in the Night Mother's chamber." Mordelia wondered. The Night Mother's chamber was the stone room above the Grotto's pool. All that was in it were some benches and a few wall hangings, and now the Night Mother's coffin of course; nowhere good to hide.

"Yes, you're right. Just hiding in the shadows won't be good enough. You should hide in the Night Mother's coffin." Astrid leaned back to watch Mordelia's reaction.

Mordelia gasped in shock. _Hide in the Night Mother's coffin! She must be crazy! _"Wouldn't that be a bit ... disrespectful?" Mordelia tried to come up with an excuse not to have to hide in the stone coffin.

"I suppose so. But it's what the circumstances require. We want to make sure Cicero isn't trying to bring down the Dark Brotherhood or take my place."

Mordelia escaped into her mind to think. _If Cicero caught me, he'd definitely try to kill me. But, as Astrid said, he could be planning to kill us all or take over the Dark Brotherhood. _"Alright. I'll do it." Mordelia said reluctantly.

"Good. I knew I could count on you." Astrid smiled thinly. "Report back to me when you've found anything out. Good luck, Sister."

Mordelia walked into the Grotto; before she tried eavesdropping on Cicero, she would see what the other Dark Brotherhood members had to say about him. The first member she saw was Arnbjorn, working away at the forge as usual. _No use trying to talk to him. He's Astrid's husband, so he probably shares her same thought. _

Mordelia move on to the room off the Grotto. She found Babette and Gabriella, the former making potions and the latter playing with Lis, her pet Frostbite spider.

"Hello, Sister." Babette said, looking up from her potion making. Mordelia still hadn't gotten used to the fact that this ten year old girl was actually a 200 year old vampire. She did find Babette to be a good companion however, they both loved alchemy.

"Hello." Mordelia replied, smiling. "What are you working on?"

"I'm trying to make a new poison," Babette frowned. "but I'm almost out of Silverside Perch and Deathbell."

"I'll see if I can pick some up for you next time I'm out." Mordelia offered.

"Oh, that would be splendid!" Babette's glowing yellow eyes smiled up at Mordelia. "Now what did you really come to talk about? I can tell you need to say something."

"Well, I'm not sure how to put this, but ... Have you noticed anything unusual about Cicero lately?"

Babette laughed. "Anything unusual? Why that man is the definition of unusual! But if you mean anything strange or suspicious, then no, I haven't." Babette turned around to ask Gabriella, "What about you, Gabriella? Have you noticed anything suspicious with our little jester?"

Gabriella stood up from playing with Lis, they had been playing tug-of-war with a severed limb. "I can't say that I have. Although he does spend quite a lot of time alone, either with the Night Mother or in his room." Lis distracted Gabriella by whacking her in the leg with a leg. "Yes, yes. You attention hog. Well, I hope you figure out whatever it is you're trying to do, Sister."

"Yes." Babette agreed.

"Thanks for your help, anyways." Mordelia left and went into the next room, which happened to be the Night Mother's chamber. Fortunately, Cicero was nowhere to be found. Mordelia's nerves began to show themselves. _Am I really going to do this? Am I really going to get into the Night Mother's coffin? _She looked over at the coffin, tall and imposing, in front of the stained glass window that looked down over the Grotto. A sickly sweet odor hung in the air surrounding the coffin.

Mordelia heard footsteps in the distance. _Uh, oh. What if that's Cicero? _Before she could second guess herself, Mordelia unlocked the coffin, stepped inside and closed the door, careful not to look inside the coffin as she did so. She still wasn't sure she wanted to know what was inside. No light was let into the coffin, which meant no fresh air either. The smell of dead flesh mixed with scented oils clogged Mordelia's nostrils, almost making her gag.

Mordelia shut her eyes, even thought the coffin was pitch black inside, and listened. She heard footsteps enter the chamber and someone locking the door behind them.

Then she heard an unmistakable voice say, "Are we alone, Mother?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Forgive my delay in updating. I have been very busy. Thanks to all who have made it this far!**

_Cicero! _Mordelia instinctively held her breath. She let it out a few seconds later when she realized Cicero probably couldn't hear her breathing through the stone coffin anyways. Mordelia waited to hear what he would say.

"Yes, yes. We are alone. The plan is coming along splendidly!" A little giggle. "Even the Argonian is considering." There was a loud sigh and the sound of Cicero plopping down on a stone bench. "But still no Listener! Will you ever choose a Listener, Mother?"

Suddenly the coffin was lit up by a red glow, illuminating a gruesome sight in front of Mordelia. She now saw what the Night Mother was; a shriveled old corpse, her head tilted to one side and her mouth open in a silent scream. As if that wasn't horrifying enough, the Night Mother spoke.

"Poor Cicero." The Night Mother's voice was raspy and strained. Mordelia was afraid Cicero would hear, but then she realized the voice was in her head. _What is with the Dark Brotherhood and voiceless voices?_ "He tries so hard."

The voice stopped and the red glow went out, plunging Mordelia back into darkness. She was panicking inside and wanted desperately to get out of the coffin, but she also didn't fancy getting shanked by Cicero's dagger. The red glow came back a few seconds later.

"You are the 'One'." The Night Mother said. "Speak with Amaund Motierre in Volunruud. And tell Cicero, Darkness rises when Silence falls." The glow went out again and Mordelia felt herself falling backwards.

As she stumbled to the ground, breathing in the fresh air, Mordelia heard Cicero inhale sharply behind her.

"DEFILER!" Cicero screeched. "How dare you desecrate the Night Mother's coffin!"

Mordelia quickly rose to her feet and faced Cicero, who was glaring at her with his dagger drawn. _Uh, oh._ "Wait!" Mordelia put her hands out in front of her. "You don't understand! The Night Mother spoke to me!"

"Liar! The Night Mother hasn't spoken to anyone in ages!" Cicero seemed a bit taken aback by her claim, but was still dangerously furious.

"But it's true! She told me I am the 'One'. And she told me to tell you, 'Darkness rises when Silence falls'."

That seemed to grab Cicero's attention. He stared at Mordelia, open-mouthed. "She said that? The Night Mother said _those _words?"

Mordelia nodded. She was still concerned Cicero might decide to attack her.

Cicero's expression changed from one of murder, to one of joy. Mordelia noticed that he seemed a bit sad, however. "Those are the words written in the Keeping Tomes. The words Mother gave us to let us know she had chosen a Listener."

"A what now?" Mordelia asked. "A Listener?"

"Yes!" Cicero finally sheathed his dagger, much to Mordelia's relief. "You are the Listener!" He clapped his hands excitedly and did a little jig.

Mordelia couldn't help smiling; he was such an excitable fellow. She was about to ask what the Listener even was, when the chamber doors burst open and Astrid came striding in.

"I heard screaming and figured Cicero had found you." Astrid explained. She lowered her voice, although Cicero was too busy tending to the Night Mother to notice anyways. "Did you find out who Cicero was talking to?"

Mordelia laughed. That whole ordeal seemed trivial compared to what had just happened. "He was only talking to the Night Mother."

"That's all? What was this matter I heard about the Listener then?" Astrid crossed her arms. She was good at weaseling information out of you.

"Well..." Mordelia was hesitant to say anything so soon, especially when she had no idea what any of it meant. But Astrid would find out eventually, and it was best if she heard it from the source. "When I was in the coffin, the Night Mother spoke to me." Mordelia said simply.

"She spoke to you?" Astrid sounded skeptical. "And what did she say?"

Mordelia shifted nervously. _What if I had imagined it all? I mean, that smell in there would make anyone feel strange. _"She said I was the 'One'. Cicero thinks that means I'm the Listener. She also told me to go to Volunruud and speak with some Amaund Motierre guy. Do you know who that is?"

Astrid looked Mordelia in the eyes, trying to read any signs of deceit or lies behind them. "Hmm. This is all a bit strange." Astrid still had her arms crossed. "No, I don't know who Amaund Motierre is. But I do know where Volunruud is."

"Should I go there and try to find Motierre?"

"No." Astrid said firmly. "I need to think about this. Go do a few contracts for Nazir and see me when you're finished." Astrid waved her hand in the general direction of the Grotto and left.

Mordelia's mind whirling, she was about to leave and go wash the stench from her armour when she saw Cicero sitting on one of the stone benches. He still seemed sad, even though he wore a huge smile.

Mordelia sat down next to him, not sure what to say. "Did you want to be Listener?" She said aloud before she could stop herself.

Cicero sighed, the smile vanishing from his face. "Yes. Cicero wanted to be the Listener. Cicero stayed with Mother and kept her clean and oiled. Cicero talked to her and hoped one day Mother would answer. But the silence... it was almost... maddening." Cicero said the last word in a menacing tone. Mordelia didn't doubt he was half-mad. Cicero looked up at Mordelia and gave her a warm smile. "But Mother chose and you are the Listener." His sadness seemed to have vanished completely.

_Poor soul. He must be so lonely. _Mordelia felt something in her heart soften towards this little fellow. She smiled back at Cicero.


	8. Chapter 8

When Mordelia asked Nazir for more contracts he said she still had one to finish. _Who have I missed? _Mordelia racked her mind, trying to remember. _There was Narfi. And then the Papius guy... Oh yeah! _The name came to her. _Beitild in Dawnstar. _

"Great. I get to go to Dawnstar, where there seems to always be snow." Mordelia despised the cold. She would much rather brave the fires of Oblivion than traipse through a blizzard. "Might as well get it over with." Mordelia sighed.

The trip from Falkreath to Dawnstar would not be a fun one. Mordelia decided she'd give up the coin and take a wagon instead of going by foot. It would save her days of sore feet.

The task of assassinating Beitild turned out to be harder than Mordelia had thought; Beitild always seemed to be near a guard or with other miners. In the end, Mordelia ended up conjuring a bow, taking out Beitild from the relative safety of the surrounding hilltop.

Almost immediately after Beitild fell to the ground, guards noticed and began running around trying to find the killer.

"Time for me to leave." Mordelia dispelled the bow and made a hasty retreat. She knew she would be spotted quickly if she stayed, her black armour stuck out like a sore thumb on the white snow. Unfortunately, because of her suspicious looking armour, she wasn't able to take a wagon back to Falkreath for fear of being found out as the assassin. _I really should start wearing less conspicuous clothing on daylight jobs, but this armour is so practical._

Mordelia made it back to the Sanctuary, tired and crabby. She just wanted to collect her pay and take a nice long nap. However, this was not an option; Astrid was waiting for Mordelia at the door.

"I need to speak with you, Sister." She said quietly.

"What is it?" Mordelia asked shortly. _Did something happen with Cicero? _She had found herself thinking of him often on the long walk back to the Sanctuary.

Astrid took a deep breath before replying. "I've been thinking. I'm not exactly sure what's happening around here with you and the Night Mother. But, if you really were spoken to by the Night Mother, it would be mad not to seek out the contact; and we all know there is enough madness around here." Astrid paused for a moment before continuing. "I have decided you should follow up on the contact mentioned by the Night Mother. Seek out this Amaund Motierre in Volunruud."

_I wasn't expecting this. _"Alright. I'll do that. But first, where is Volunruud? I've never heard of it before, and you said you knew where it was."

"Of course." Astrid seemed relieved to have told Mordelia her decision. "Volunruud is a crypt northeast of here, past Whiterun. You should hurry there as soon as possible and find out if Amaund Motierre even exists, and if so, what he wants." Astrid left it at that, heading off to do her own thing.

"Looks like I'm not getting a break anytime soon." Mordelia grumbled to herself. She went to go find Nazir.

As she was walking down the corridor to the dining hall after not finding Nazir in the Grotto, Mordelia came upon Cicero strolling aimlessly down the corridor, mumbling something to himself.

"Greetings, Cicero." Mordelia said, before he could run into her.

Cicero looked up quickly and stopped. His face broke into a smile when he saw who had greeted him. "Hello, Listener! Back from a kill?"

"Yes." Mordelia replied, managing to give him a smile in return. She yawned. "I'm awful tired though. It was a long walk."

"Poor, Listener. You should eat some carrots." Cicero's faced looked genuinely concerned.

Mordelia laughed. "I think I'll settle for some hot soup instead."

Cicero seemed satisfied with that. "Oh, Listener! Aren't you excited?" He said. "You should be! Things are finally looking up!" With that, he skipped away, humming 'Ragnar the Red'.

Mordelia shook her head in amusement. "I swear, even if I spent a thousand years with that man, I still wouldn't understand him."


	9. Chapter 9

"Isn't this place charming," Mordelia said to herself through chattering teeth. She wrapped her cloak tighter around her, trying to keep out the biting wind. Northern Skyrim was not known for its charming weather.

Mordelia could see the mound of stone and earth indicating a Nordic burial in the distance. Hopefully the inside of the barrow was a bit nicer than outside.

Mordelia pushed the heavy stone door of the barrow open, letting in a blast of cold, snowy air that made the torches on the walls flicker. As she stepped inside she felt something crunch under her boots. Mordelia looked down to see what she had stepped on.

"Great…" She muttered. "This is just fantastic." Mordelia had stepped through the ribcage of a skeleton lying on the floor. The skeleton was obviously dead, with a dagger still stuck in its eye socket.

Mordelia carefully lifted her boot free and continued down the corridor until it opened on to a large, circular room. She was about to step in to the room when she heard a creaking sound coming from behind her. _Is someone following me?_

Instinctively, Mordelia crouched down as she spun around and drew her dagger. She was thankful the torches were widely placed, leaving large shadows she could hide in. When she saw what was making the noise however, she stood and sheathed her dagger. It was the skeleton, thankfully not the one she had stepped through. Mordelia had a feeling he would've been pretty mad.

When the skeleton noticed Mordelia it made a hissing noise and lurched towards her, sword in hand. Before it could take two steps, Mordelia blasted it with a fireball, sending bones scattering everywhere. She barely avoided a femur to the face.

"I hate skeletons." _This contract had better be worth it. First a long walk in the cold, then an attack by a skeleton. And where there's skeletons, there's bound to be draugr._

When Mordelia was finally in the circular room, she was faced with another problem; which door to choose. There were four doorways to choose from; a large one in the middle, two to the left of the large doorway, and one to the right of the large doorway. Mordelia decided on the doorway farthest to the left because it was the only one lit with torches.

She passed through another short corridor and a small room with ferns and dead draugr littering the floor. Mordelia was careful not to step on any of the dead this time, and methodically stabbed each draugr she found; just in case. She passed in to the next room and found two men, Amaund Motierre and his bodyguard.

Motierre was obviously the man with long black hair wearing a set of fine clothes. He was sitting at a stone table while his body guard paced around the room. His bodyguard noticed me first and signaled to Motierre that someone was here. Motierre stood to meet Mordelia.

"The Night Mother has heard you pleas, Amaund Motierre." Mordelia said. It seemed the proper thing to say.

Motierre looked her up and down disapprovingly. "So I would say." He said sarcastically. "I'm surprised this dreadful Black Sacrament business even worked." He looked at Mordelia, expecting her to say something.

Mordelia choose to remain silent. _He seems like he enjoys hearing his own voice, better not spoil it._

"Yes, well," Motierre continued, "I need you to kill several people. These people aren't the actual target, more of a means to an end." He paused.

Mordelia still said nothing. She was interested in what he had to say, however. Multiple contracts that were even the intended target sounded quite interesting.

"Ultimately, I seek the assassination of the Emperor."

Mordelia took a few steps back in shock. "The Emperor? Of Tamriel?" She couldn't hide the surprise in her voice.

Motierre looked at her with a mixture of amusement and shock. The annoyance won over. "That's what I said. You can do it, right? After all, you are the Dark Brotherhood. This is what you do."

Mordelia managed to resume her emotionless demeanor, though her mind was still scrambling to realize the enormity of Motierre's proposal. "Yes, of course we can."

"Good. So much planning has gone into this, it would be a shame to have it all spoiled now." Motierre clapped his hands twice. "Remus!" He called to his bodyguard, "Bring her the letter and amulet."

Remus went to a small burial urn on the stone desk and retrieved a sealed envelope and jeweled amulet.

"Deliver these to your superior. The letter explains the contracts and the amulet can be used to cover any expenses." Motierre explained to me as Remus handed over the items.

Seeing that he had no more to say, Mordelia left the musty warmth of Volunruud and back out into the blistering cold. She wasn't sure how Astrid would react to the news she was about to deliver.


	10. Chapter 10

"You're joking." Astrid looked dumbfounded. "Motierre wants us to kill the Emperor of Tamriel?"

"Yes. He said there are multiple targets to take care of beforehand." Mordelia handed Astrid the sealed letter and amulet. "He gave me these to give to you. The letter explains the contracts, and the amulet is for any expenses."

"By Sithis," Astrid's eyes widened as she read the letter. "You weren't joking. A contract like this hasn't happened for 200 years, not since the murder of Uriel Septim. The Dark Brotherhood was more prominent then of course."

"Will we accept the contract?" Mordelia asked. She was unsure if they would be able to handle the task of assassinating the Emperor with so few resources.

"Damn well we will!" Astrid said. Her eyes gleamed greedily. "If we can pull this off the Dark Brotherhood will finally be respected around here. I need time to study this letter first before I decide what steps to take. And this amulet…" Astrid trailed off.

"We should get it appraised. I have contacts in the Thieves' Guild that could help us." Mordelia offered.

Astrid looked up. "You do, huh. Know anyone by the name of Delvin Mallory?"

"Yes, he's a fence for the Thieves' Guild. And quite the character."

"Good. Then you know how he works. You should take the amulet to him and get it appraised. I trust him to be honest." Astrid dropped the amulet into Mordelia's palm. "I'm going to go study this letter and plan our next moves. Don't speak of this to anyone yet."

"You look troubled Listener."

"Hmmm?" Mordelia looked up from the potion she was attempting to craft. She figured if there were going to be multiple assassinations in her future, she better have a good supply of poisons for her arrows. "Oh, hello Cicero." The red clad man looked down at her with worry in his eyes.

"Are you alright? Cicero must make sure the Listener is well."

Mordelia smiled at him. "I am fine, Cicero. Thank you." She stood, causing him to tilt his head back to look up at her. "It's just these darn poisons. I'm out of Deathbell. I would ask Babette for some, but I promised her I'd bring her some next time I came around and well..." Mordelia shrugged her shoulders. She had forgotten the ingredients she'd promised Babette and didn't feel like being scolded by a woman in a child's body.

Cicero laughed. "Oh, Cicero sees the problem!" He turned to the shelves of potion ingredients next to the alchemy table, hands on his hips. "Perhaps the Listener could use some Red Mountain Flowers?" He handed her a few red blossoms. "Or maybe an Orange Dartwing?" He gave her a large orange dragonfly, which Mordelia hastily set on the alchemy table with a shiver. She hated bugs.

"I think I'll try the flowers." Mordelia began crushing them in the mortar and pestle. The flowers let out a sharp scent as they were mushed into a red paste. Mordelia stirred the paste into her potion, causing it to turn from a light brown to a deadly shade of green. "Perfect!" Mordelia turned to Cicero's expectant face to thank him. "Maybe I should just come to you for advice from now on." She laughed.

Cicero bowed. "Cicero is pleased to have been of service to the Listener."

"How did you know what use?" Mordelia asked. "I've never seen you make or use potions before."

Cicero thought for a moment, his head tilted to the side. "Cicero just knows. Cicero knows many things without know why he knows them."

"Interesting."_ There is much more to Cicero than meets the eye. _Mordelia stuff the potion in one of the pouches on her belt. "Hey Cicero," Mordelia suddenly said, "How would you like to go to Riften with me tomorrow?"

Cicero's eyes brightened. "Really? The Listener is asking Cicero to travel with her?"

"Yeah, sure. It gets a bit lonely traveling by myself, you know." _Maybe I can get to know Cicero a bit better too._

"Oh how fun this will be!" Cicero clapped his hands excitedly. "Cicero must go prepare at once! The Night Mother will need a good oiling before Cicero leaves." Cicero was almost out the door before he turned to add, "Thank you, Listener."

Mordelia gave him a warm smile. "Thank you for helping me with my poison."

"Good morning, Listener!" A singsong voice right next to her ear made Mordelia's eyes pop open.

"Ah!" Mordelia almost fell backwards off the bed. "Cicero! Don't do that!" She pushed Cicero's face away from hers. It wasn't a pleasant experience to wake up with a half-mad jester's face inches away from your own, not to mention one holding a gleaming knife.

"Whoops!" Cicero bounced backwards. "Please excuse, poor Cicero."

"It's alright." Mordelia sighed. "What was with the dagger though? You could've cut me!"

"The dagger?" Cicero looked confused. "Oh yes," His voiced deepened menacingly. "This dagger." He held up an ebony dagger. "Cicero was so excited, he even polished his dagger and wanted to show the Listener!" His voice returned to its carefree tone.

"Oh." Mordelia looked down at the dagger. It was quite nice looking, but she still didn't appreciate waking up with it in her face. "It looks very nice, Cicero."

Cicero beamed at her. "The Listener had better get moving, we're burning daylight! Whatever that means. Why would someone burn light?" Cicero walked away pondering this, his dagger under his chin thoughtfully.

"Talos save me." This was going to be a long trip to Riften.


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry for the long delay in between updates! I have been very busy.** Hopefully**updates will be more regular from now on.**

"I think I have enough now, Cicero." Mordelia swore she was 10 pounds heavier than when they had started that morning.

"Yes, yes. But look at this one!" Cicero went running off. He returned and handed Mordelia yet another Deathbell flower. "Isn't this one pretty?"

"I don't know. They all started looking the same after the last hundred you brought me." Mordelia replied sarcastically. She proceeded to stuff the flower unceremoniously in her overflowing pouch.

"Hmph. Fine then. See if Cicero brings you anymore flowers." Cicero stalked off ahead of her.

"Thank Sithis." Mordelia said to herself. She couldn't hide a smile of amusement though, Cicero was such a character. She hadn't learned anything more about him yet, besides the fact that he was good at picking Deathbell.

Cicero soon returned to walk next to Mordelia, his earlier offense forgotten. It was a bit awkward walking in silence next to him, so Mordelia decided to strike up a conversation.

"So Cicero," She said, "Have you ever been to Riften?"

"Yes. Cicero passed through Riften on his way to the Sanctuary." Cicero replied.

"Oh?" Mordelia thought for a moment. "Where did you come from anyway? If you don't mind me inquiring, of course."

"Oh Cicero doesn't mind at all!" He smiled. "Cicero and the Night Mother came from the Cheydinhal Sanctuary in Cyrodiil. We had to leave. Cicero had to protect the Night Mother."

"I always wondering what it would be like to travel to Cyrodiil, the birthplace of Martin Septim. Why did you have to leave though?"

"The Sanctuary was… purified." Cicero shuddered in recognition. "All because of Rasha." He mumbled under his breath, giving Mordelia suspicious glance. "At least Cicero knows you are the real Listener."

Mordelia swallowed uncomfortably. "Yes, I suppose I am. I'm sorry to hear about the Cheydinhal Sanctuary." _Why is Cicero looking at me like he thinks I'm guilty of something? It's unnerving. _She cleared her throat, looking away from Cicero. "Anyways… So what do you like to do, Cicero?"

Cicero gave Mordelia one last look. "Cicero likes to kill people."

This gave Mordelia a start. "Oh… That's nice. I guess." _I mean, I suppose it makes sense. He is part of the Dark Brotherhood after all. Does that mean I like to kill people?_ "Well what do you like to do besides kill people? Do you have any hobbies?"

"Hmmm," Cicero rubbed his head in thought, causing his jester's hat to tilt to the side. "Cicero enjoys alchemy. He likes to make Mother's oils smell like flowers."

_That seems harmless enough._

"And Cicero likes to make poisons for his dagger."

_And there it is. _Mordelia sighed, death seemed to surround this little man like a shroud. "You were very helpful the other day."

"Thank you, Listener. And what does the Listener like to do?"

"Oh, well, alchemy of course. And exploring old ruins." Mordelia sighed wistfully, "I've heard rumours of an old castle on an island up north. I hope to go see if they are true someday."

"Cicero hopes the Listener will get to fulfill her wish."

Mordelia and Cicero continued making small talk on their walk to Riften.

"Riften. Cicero likes Riften. Cheats and ruffians and cutthroats abound! What fun!" Cicero said as they stepping into Riften. The guard at the gate gave Cicero a concerned look as they passed.

"I see you know some of Riften's history." Mordelia said. She leaned in close to Cicero and whispered, "I was once part of the Thieves' Guild you know."

"Oh really?" Cicero looked at Mordelia with interest. "Cicero never understood thieves. Take someone's things before you kill them? And they think I'm crazy." He shook his head.

"Well you don't kill when you're on a job… Usually." Mordelia reflected on the time Mercer had tried to kill her. "It doesn't matter anyways. I'm no longer part of the Thieves' Guild, but I am still welcome in the Ragged Flagon."

"The Ragged Flagon? Where is that? Cicero has not heard of the Ragged Flagon before." He sidestepped a suspicious puddle on the ground, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the beggar nearby.

"The Ragged Flagon is a meeting place for thieves and fences in the Ratway, underneath Riften." Mordelia tossed a septim to the beggar who blessed her with a toothless smile. "I just hope there aren't any bandits hiding in the tunnels."

"Oh Cicero hopes there is!" He brandished his dagger, "Cicero has gotten bored of only using his blade on vegetables."

"Who knows, maybe you will be in luck then." Mordelia led Cicero down a set of stairs and along a wooden dock to a door. Before entering the Ratway Mordelia conjured a light to follow along.

"How pretty, Listener!" Cicero remarked. He tried to touch the orb floating above their heads, but his hand just passed right through.

"Yes, it is. Maybe I could teach you to make your own someday." Mordelia opened the door and walked into the tunnels, having to bend over to avoid hitting her head on the door frame.

The Ratway tunnels were empty of bandits to Cicero's disappointment. He did, however, get to kill a few skeevers. After all, the Ratway didn't get its name for nothing.

"Okay," Mordelia halted outside the Ragged Flagon's door, "Before we go in I need to tell you a few things."

Cicero looked at her intently.

"First, don't get into a fight with anybody. Don't steal anything. Try to avoid eye contact with anyone I'm not talking to. Oh, and try not to get on Dirge's bad side. He's the big Imperial who guards the place." Mordelia thought for a moment. "I think that's all. Basically just be quiet and stick close to me. Okay?"

Cicero nodded. "You can count on Cicero, Listener."

"Good. Let's go." Mordelia opened the heavy wooden door into the Ragged Flagon. The place looked the same as last time she had been there a few months ago. It only seemed like yesterday that Mordelia had come down here asking for advice on how to kill Grelod. How time flies when you're … She wasn't sure if 'having fun' were the right words.

Dirge glowered at Mordelia, "Who is that you have with you? We don't like outsiders in here."

"Relax, Dirge. He's with me." Mordelia looked around. "I'm here to speak with Delvin. Do you know where I can find him?"

"He's over in the corner trying to sweet talk Vex, as usual." Dirge nodded his head towards a table in a dark corner.

"Great. Thanks." Mordelia made her way over to the table where Delvin sat, his chin in his hand. Vex sat across from him, drinking an ale and completely ignoring Delvin's smooth words.

Mordelia cleared her throat to get his attention. He looked up, a bit embarrassed to be caught at such a disadvantage. "Oh, hello there Mordelia. Haven't seen you for a while." He looked at Cicero standing next to her and looking around dreamily. "Who's that you got with you?"

"That's Cicero. He's …" Mordelia wasn't sure how to explain him. "That doesn't matter. I'm here because I need to speak with you."

"Oh, you came all this way to see old Delvin?" He winked at her.

"Uh, I'm here on Dark Brotherhood business actually." Mordelia felt a bit awkward. How was Vex able to shrug off his flirty advances so easily?

"Oh, I see." Delvin leaned back. "Have a seat, you and your friend here."

"Here, you can have my spot. I'm finished anyways." Vex got up and went to sit at the bar.

Mordelia sat and beckoned for Cicero to sit in the chair next to her. He sat down and continued his dreamy looking around. Mordelia heard him mummer under his breath, "A bit stuffy down here for Cicero's liking."

"So how's Astrid doing these days? Tell her to stop by sometime, catch a drink." Delvin said with a smirk.

"Yeah, sure." Mordelia was confused. _Did Delvin try to sweet talk every woman in Skyrim?_

"What is it I can do for the Dark Brotherhood anyways?

Mordelia fished the amulet out of her pouch and handed it across the table to Delvin. "What can you tell me about this?"

Delvin's eyes widened. "Oh, my. Where did you get this?" He held up his hand, "Don't answer that." He flipped the amulet over, inspecting every angle. "This is an amulet of the Emperor's Elder Council. Worth quite a few septims. I know it ain't my business, but I sure hope you didn't kill-"

"Will you buy it?" Mordelia interrupted. She didn't want him saying too much out loud.

Delvin looked stunned. "Buy it? An Elder Council amulet? Yes. Oh, yes indeed. Wait here a moment." Delvin set the amulet on the table and went up to the bar. He came back a few moments later with a sealed envelope in his hand which he handed to Mordelia. "Here. It's a letter of credit usable only by Astrid. You bring that back to your lovely mistress now, with my regards."

Mordelia tucked the envelope into her pouch for safekeeping. "Thanks, Delvin." Mordelia stood. "Come on, Cicero. Let's head back to the Sanctuary. We got what we came for."

Cicero snapped out of his daydream. "Of course, Listener. Cicero is ready to see Mother again."


	12. Chapter 12

"Good, you're back." Astrid said flatly. "What did Mallory have to say about the amulet?"

"He said it was an Elder Council amulet, and worth quite a lot." Mordelia said, watching Cicero skip past on his way to oil Mother.

"The Elder Council? That explains a lot. Seemed Motierre wants to advance with the help of the Dark Brotherhood. Was Mallory willing to buy the amulet?"

"Yes, he was." Mordelia handed over the sealed envelope. "Here's a letter of credit."

"Wonderful." Astrid tucked the envelope away. "It seems we are ready to begin. Or I should say, you are ready to begin. The Night Mother did speak to you after all." Astrid seemed to have a very condescending attitude with Mordelia. "I hope you have something nice to wear, you're going to a wedding."

"A wedding?" Mordelia wasn't sure she had heard Astrid right. Why in Tamriel would an assassin need to go to a wedding?

"It's more like a public reception I suppose. You'll mingle with the guests, eat fine food, and stab the bride." Astrid smiled.

"What? The bride? But why?" Mordelia felt a bit bad to think of assassinating a bride on her wedding day.

"Yes, the bride. Her name is Vittoria Vici. She oversees the East Empire Company's business holdings in Solitude. The wedding will be held at the Temple of Divines there. We want her death to cause an uproar. If you can manage to kill her during one of her boring wedding speeches I promise you will be rewarded a bonus."

Mordelia processed the information given to her. "Okay. How should I kill her though?"

Astrid scoffed, "However you want. You shouldn't have to ask that by now. If you really need advice you can always ask your brothers and sisters."

"Alright. But what does murdering Vittoria have to do with the assassination of the Emperor?"

"Excellent question. Vittoria is the first cousin of our beloved Emperor. She has obvious Imperial connections while her husband has ties to the Stormcloaks. Their marriage brings reconciliation between the two sides one step closer. Now let's say poor Vittoria was murdered. Well not only will that stall the peace process, but it will send shockwaves throughout the Empire. This will force the Emperor's hand, causing him to have to travel to Skyrim to deal with the aftermath. And the Dark Brotherhood will be waiting for him." Astrid finished with a smirk and crossed her arms.

"I see. This is all very well thought out." Mordelia mused.

"That it is. You'd better get going now, sister."

Mordelia decided to ask Babette and Gabriella for advice. She had formed a close bond with the two of them very quickly after joining the Brotherhood.

"Oh, it's not fair! I love weddings. Who would suspect a little child of being the assassin?" Babette complained. "But since you were kind enough to bring me some deathbell, I suppose I can tell you a secret. The reception is to be held outside the Temple of Divines, right?"

"Yes, that's what Astrid said." Mordelia replied. She wished Babette could take this contract instead of her, Mordelia really wasn't keen on killing a bride.

"Well the bride will probably address the crowd from the balcony overlooking the courtyard then. There's an old statue up there, hanging right over where she will be standing. And old means weak, right? Weak means it could fall." Babette smiled knowingly. "You get what I'm saying?"

"That would be a brutal way to go, and messy." Mordelia shuddered to think of the person who would have to clean that mess up.

"That's a nice idea Babette. But what if the statue doesn't fall?" Gabriella asked.

"Well then Mordelia can just jump down on top of her and stab her or something." Babette improvised. "I'm sure it would fall though."

"I have a better idea, one that doesn't risk Mordelia getting her neck broken in the process."

Babette stuck her tongue out at Gabriella and crossed her arms. Like a child who didn't get their way.

"I've taken the liberty of scouting the reception site. I noticed there was a small parapet opposite the balcony. If you are any good with the bow, it would make a great spot for a long-range kill. If you feel inclined to take that approach, I left something there for you."

"No offense, Babette, but Gabriella's plan seems a lot easier and safer to me. Hopefully guards wouldn't spot me from up there." Mordelia decided.

"Oh sure, it's only because Gabriella bribed you with a surprise." Babette grumbled. It was all in good spirit though. Babette had to agree that Gabriella's idea was the better. "Although I would have liked to seen her smooshed under that old statue!"

The three friends laughed and went off to find some supper.

"Oh thank you for letting Cicero come, Listener!" Cicero said as he strolled at Mordelia's side.

"You kind of left me no choice." Mordelia said to herself. Cicero had found her the moment he had heard what her contract was and had practically begged her to take him along. "For protection," he had said. Mordelia figured she may as well bring him along, it would look less suspicious for two people to be at the reception than just a single Dunmer. Mordelia insisted, however, that Cicero wear something other than his ratty jester's outfit and hat. Cicero reluctantly agreed to wear a clean tunic and trousers that matched her light green dress. She had to admit, Cicero looked quite fetching in clean clothes and with his long, amber hair free from that silly hat. They made an odd couple though, a Dunmer and an Imperial. And it didn't help that she stood a good foot taller than him.

Mordelia blushed at the thought of them together. How ridiculous! It could never happen.

Mordelia and Cicero took a carriage to Solitude, not wanting to waste time walking. They arrived at Solitude early in the morning, before the sun had warmed the dew from the grass. The effect of Solitude against the pale blue morning sky was quite beautiful. It was like a grand gateway to Sovengarde, the wet stone glittering in the early sunlight.

"Oh, Cicero!" Mordelia gasped, "Doesn't Solitude look lovely!"

Cicero nodded. "Yes, Solitude." He sighed, "Cicero knows a lot about solitude."


	13. Chapter 13

"Okay Cicero, I want you to be my eyes and ears down here," Mordelia laid out the plan, "If anything seems off or suspicious give me a signal and I will put an arrow in Vici where she stands. Otherwise, I'll wait until she makes her speech, like Astrid suggested. Got it?" It was a fairly simple plan. After the kill they would attempt to exit Solitude as inconspicuously as possible.

"Yes, Listener," Cicero replied, "Cicero will keep his eyes open."

"Good. Now go have some fun while you wait, eat some sweetrolls or something. Just don't get drunk, please." Mordelia clapped Cicero on the shoulder and made her way to the small parapet Gabriella had mentioned. It wasn't too hard to get to, she just had to take a small flight of steps up to the private area. Waiting for her there was Gabriella's gift, an enchanted bow.

Mordelia's eyes lit up as she picked up the bow. It was a beautiful elven bow, with what seemed to be a frost damage enchantment on it. Mordelia was no expert on enchantments though and would have to ask Gabriella to be sure. A quiver of steel arrows leaned against the wall next to the bow. Mordelia picked them up and swung them over her shoulder. She was by no means an expert archer, but she was confident she could hit her target from the short distance.

The balcony across the way was empty, the bride and her husband conversing with the guests below. Mordelia was glad she was in the parapet, and not down below among the throngs of people. Watching the people walking around, eating and drinking, reminded her of ants, always busy. It made her a bit uncomfortable, how was she supposed to escape after her kill without anyone seeing her? She should've thought that part through better, but it didn't seem like there were so many people from the ground. Mordelia would worry about that later, all she had to do now was wait for Vittoria to make her speech.

What seemed like hours later Vittoria and her husband got up and went inside the Temple of Divines. They reappeared a moment later on the balcony above the courtyard. "Finally," Mordelia whispered to herself. She was getting bored watching Cicero stuff his face full of good food.

The couple sat themselves down in the two wooden thrones on the balcony. "Oh, come on. Are they really going to just sit up there? When is this dumb speech going to happen?" Mordelia huffed.

No sooner had she spoken the words than Vittoria Vici stood and approached the edge of the balcony.

"Here we go," Mordelia caught Cicero's eye and gave him a nod that everything was going to plan.

The courtyard began to quiet down as people realized Vittoria was going to make a speech. Mordelia's breathing picked up, she had never made such a high-profile kill before. Her mind began to think of all the things that could go wrong. What if she didn't kill Vittoria with her first arrow? What if she missed altogether? What if someone spotted her before she could shoot? What if Cicero went crazy all of a sudden? Mordelia's thoughts were drowned out by Vittoria's voice echoing around the courtyard.

"Good people of Solitude! I just wanted to thank you all for being here."

Mordelia drew an arrow from her quiver, dipped it in a potent poison, and fitted against the string.

"To thank you for sharing this wonderfully happy day with myself and my new husband!"

She drew the bow back, her hand by her cheek.

"Today, the problems of Skyrim are not my problems. Nor are they yours."

Mordelia took careful aim, drawing in a breath.

"Today we are joined in pea-"

The arrow flew gracefully through the air, catching Vittoria in the chest and causing her to tumble forward over the balcony.

There was silence for a second, before all hell broke loose.

"Vittoria! No!" "Somebody help!" "The bride has been murdered" "Ahhhhh!"

People were running around, screaming and crying in panic. Mordelia tried to spot Cicero amongst the mob, but couldn't find him. She quickly made her way down to the courtyard, hoping she could blend into the crowd. When she burst out of the doorway that led to the parapet she was greeted by a familiar red-headed man.

"Oh, Listener! That was amazing!" Cicero beamed.

"Shh! Not now, Cicero," Mordelia put a hand over his mouth, "We need to get out of here. Come on, the side entrance is our best bet of escaping unnoticed.

Cicero nodded, his mouth still covered. "Ysmm, Lsmmnrr."

Mordelia and Cicero took off, trying to keep to the edges of the crowd without looking suspicious. Guards were rushing around, trying to establish some sort of order Mordelia made sure to steer well clear of the guards.

They were almost out of the courtyard when Mordelia heard a man yell, "Hey! That Dunmer has a bow!"

"Oh no…" Mordelia felt the eyes of the guards focus on her. She glanced at Cicero, "Run. And don't stop until we're out of the city."

Cicero nodded and took off, Mordelia close behind.

"Stop them! Don't let them get away!" Guards yelled.

Mordelia felt an arrow whiz past her ear. _Curse being tall! _She hunched over and ran as fast as she could, pushing people out of her way. A flash a red, black, and green caught the corner of Mordelia's eye.

"Veezara?" Mordelia halted in confusion. _What is Veezara doing here?_

Veezara didn't look at Mordelia as he spoke, "Get out of here. I got you covered."

Mordelia didn't need to be told twice, she took off after Cicero as Veezara distracted the Solitude guards. She figured she could question Veezara later, and she wasn't complaining about the help.

Mordelia and Cicero managed to make it out of Solitude unscathed, but very exhausted. Just to be on the safe side they hadn't stopped running until Solitude was well behind them.


	14. Chapter 14

Cicero collapsed on the grass next to where Mordelia sat. "Phew! Cicero hasn't run like that since… Well Cicero can't remember the last time. But it was quite exhilarating!"

"Yeah, and I never want to run like that again," Mordelia said between breaths, "I need a horse for this crap."

"But then what would poor Cicero do?" Cicero propped himself up on his elbows and looked at Mordelia.

"Are you planning on following me everywhere or something?" Mordelia wasn't sure how much she liked that idea.

"Well of course!" Cicero seemed shocked. "The Keeper is sworn to protect the Night Mother, and the Night Mother choose you as her Listener. So that means Cicero must protect you."

"I mean, when you put it that way it makes sense," Mordelia said, "But I need some time to get used to the idea. The last time I had a traveling companion…" Memories of Lydia blocking exits and making snarky comments came flooding back. "Well, let's just say it didn't go too well."

"Cicero will respect the Listener and do as she commands."

"Alright. Let's rest for a bit and then we can go back to the Sanctuary."

"Ha ha! Well done! News of Vittoria's murder is everywhere. Surely the Emperor can't ignore this," Astrid exalted. She actually seemed pleased for once.

"Yes! The Listener was amazing!" Cicero chorused.

Astrid shot him a disgusted glance. Cicero noticed and stuck his tongue out at her and crossed his arms.

"Yeah, well we're just lucky to have made it out alive." Mordelia said. "Good thing Veezara was there to help." Mordelia watched Astrid closely to see her reaction. She had a sneaking suspicion that Astrid didn't trust her.

"Yes, I figured he would be of some help," Astrid brushed past the topic. "You have started the Dark Brotherhood down a path it hasn't traveled for centuries. We are going to murder an emperor! I'm sure you'd like your reward now, though."

Mordelia nodded her head, "That would be nice."

"Here is a unique spell, used to summon a legend of the Dark Brotherhood. His soul serves us well." Astrid showed Mordelia how to use the spell.

Mordelia made a mental note to try the spell out later. "Thanks, but what about my bonus for killing her during her speech?"

"I was getting to that," Astrid grabbed a heavy coin purse off the table next to her and tossed it to Mordelia. "Here, gold. Spend it wisely."

Mordelia caught the pouch, there had to be at least a thousand septims in there.

"Now that that's finished, go and see Gabriella. She has been working on your next contract."

Before pocketing the gold, Mordelia opened the purse and dumped half of the coin into Cicero's hands. "Here, for your help."

Cicero's eyes widened. "Thank you, Listener! You are truly kind!"

Mordelia blushed, "Don't mention it. Now go get some rest, who knows where we'll be going next."

Mordelia found Gabriella in the dining room eating the evening meal of roasted carrots and beef stew. She grabbed a bowl and sat down next to her Dunmer friend.

"Oh hello there, Mordelia," Garbriella said. She blew on her stew to cool it off. "How did the contract go? I see you found my gift." She noticed the bow on Mordelia's back.

"Besides being chased out of Solitude by every guard, it went very well," Mordelia laughed. "The bow came in real handy, thank you. By the way, what did you enchant it with?"

Gabriella studies the bow, "That one? I think I put frost damage on it."

"Very nice." Mordelia placed the Elven bow on the table, admiring the craftsmanship, "It did the job well."

"I'm glad to hear it." Gabriella and Mordelia sat in silence, savouring the warm, creamy stew and seasoned carrots. When they were both finished Mordelia broached the subject of the next contract.

"Astrid told me to see you about my next target."

"Right," Gabriella folded her hands on the table, "As you know with the Emperor now coming to Skyrim the Penitus Oculatus will need to begin their preparations immediately. The man in charge of security is Commander Maro. Astrid and I have devised a plan to break him, and in turn cripple the Emperor's protection."

Mordelia nodded, "Sounds good so far. But why not just kill Maro?"

"We thought about that. But killing him would either make them strengthen security, or even prevent the Emperor from coming to Skyrim."

"Hmm, makes sense. So what is your plan to break Maro?"

Gabriella smiled, obviously pleased with what her and Astrid had come up with. "You will kill Commander Maro's son, Gaius Maro. When he is dead you will plant false evidence on him, indicating that he is part of a plot to slay the Emperor." Gabriella leaned back with satisfaction.

"That's quite the plan you two thought up! Should be simple enough to carry out, I hope. Any specific details that would help?"

"Yes. He is currently in Dragon Bridge and set to leave there to make a check of the other cities. Kill him in one of the other cities and plant the letter on him." Gabriella dug a sealed envelope out of her robe's pocket and handed it to Mordelia. "One other thing, to earn your bonus don't kill Gaius in Dragon Bridge or on the road. Kill him in one of the major cities. That way his body will be discovered quickly, along with the letter and the plot to kill the Emperor."

"That all sounds good, but how am I supposed to know Gaius's schedule?" Mordelia asked.

"Either shadow him after he leaves Dragon Bridge, or steal his traveling schedule. We know there is one inside the Penitus Oculatus outpost. How you'll get that without being caught is for you to decide. Whatever you choose I wish you luck, Sister."

For a town housing the Emperor's personal guards, Dragon Bridge was tiny. At least that mean there wouldn't be too many witnesses if things went south, but it would also be harder for her to blend in. Thankfully Cicero had decided to sit this one out, he had said he needed to make new batches of oils for the Night Mother. Mordelia sort of missed him, it was so quiet without his constant jabbering and singing.

_Alright now, where is this outpost? _Mordelia had decided to scout out the town and Penitus Oculatus agents before trying anything. She had already booked a room at the local inn in case things took longer than planned. The Penitus Oculatus outpost wasn't hard to spot, however. There were two giant Imperial flags hanging in front of one of the wooden buildings and a few armor-clad men milling around on the porch.

Mordelia walked by slowly, trying not to draw attention to herself. She had slipped into a simple dress, leaving her Dark Brotherhood armor in the inn's room. She started carrying around a dress in her pack, just in case she needed to blend in.

As she was walking past the outpost, one of the guards took notice of her. "Look at that boys, if that isn't the nicest looking Dunmer I ever saw!"

Mordelia could feel their eyes burning into her. She was "well-blessed" and knew what the guards were staring at. She longed to jab a knife into their parts and see how nice looking they found her then.

"Hey, you! Come here!" The Penitus Oculatus agent shouted at her.

Mordelia decided to use the opportunity, even though it pained her to listen to him, to get a closer look at the outpost. She swallowed her grim look and replaced it with a forced smile, walking lightly up to the guards. "You were talking to me?" She said shyly.

The guard who had called her over smiled at the others. He was average height, with short black hair and a squished looking face. "Yeah, I'm talking to you." He leaned on the railing on the porch. "I haven't seen you around here before."

"Oh, I'm new in town. I came here to continue my research on small Skyrim towns, you see." Mordelia made up on the spot. _My research on what now? Geez, what am I getting myself into. _

"Fascinating," He didn't sound fascinated at all. "We don't see too many Dunmer around here, especially none so fine as yourself." His eyes drifted downwards.

Mordelia smiled coyly, hiding her face behind her hands. She wanted to slap him. His friends were no better, they eyed her up and down hungrily. They hadn't seen a new woman in a long time, being stationed so far from a main city.

Mordelia suddenly had an idea about how to steal the travel schedule. "I also heard the Penitus Oculatus outpost was here, so I had to come see it. I've always admired the men who would lay their lives down for the Emperor's."

The squish faced guard puffed his chest out. "Yes, we would do anything for our Emperor," He said haughtily. He thought for a moment then said, "How would you like a tour of the inside of the outpost? Maybe I could show you around Dragon Bridge a bit as well?"

Mordelia gave a little jump of excitement. "Oh, that would be lovely! You would do that for me?" She batted her eyes at him.

"Of course!" He hurried to Mordelia's side and put his arm around her waist. Mordelia had to try to keep from lashing out at him with her dagger. "I'll give you a quick tour around and then we can go for a stroll. Just you and I," He said pointedly, looking at the other guards.

Mordelia clasped her hands together, "That sounds perfect!" _Perfectly dreadful!_


	15. Chapter 15

"I know it's not much to look at, but this is where the Penitus Oculatus are head quartered," The guard, he told Mordelia his name was Erwin, said.

Mordelia took a quick scan of the room. It was quite bare for the quarters of the Emperor's personal guard. They were in a small room containing a few beds and a table with chairs scattered about. The night shift was currently sleeping, they would be up in a few hours when the sun set. Mordelia spotted what she was looking for on a table to her right; Gaius Maro's travelling schedule. _Now how do I get it without Erwin noticing and waking the other guards?_

"I think it's lovely! So quant and charming," Mordelia squeezed Erwin's arm. "Would you mind if I look around a bit? I promise to be as quiet as a mouse." She looked down at him with puppy dog eyes. Mordelia always found it a bit awkward being taller than most men in Skyrim.

Erwin scratched his head, "Yeah, sure. Just be careful."

Mordelia smiled and let go of his arm. She deliberately went left first, studying every nook and cranny, pretending to make mental notes. After 15 minutes of this she could tell Erwin was getting very impatient, he kept shifting around and asking her when she would be finished.

"Just another moment," Morelia said. She made her way over to the table with the schedule. As she walked past, studying a bookshelf nearby, she slipped her hands behind her and grabbed the journal, tucking it under the belt of her blouse. She walked around a bit longer and finally said, "Alright, I'm done. Let's go on that walk you promised."

"Finally," Erwin muttered under his breath. He led her out of the outpost and into the cool evening air. They walked along the road leading across the stone bridge and out of town, making small talk as they went. As far as conversation went, Erwin was a pretty dull talking companion. He mostly talked about his exploits as one of the Emperor's guards and how he got to where he was. He never asked anything about Mordelia, which she was glad of. She wasn't sure how she would answer personal questions about her past or her occupation. So she merely listened as Erwin talked, offering the occasional nod.

They stopped at a small clearing surrounded by pine trees and ferns. By this time the sun had gone down and torch bugs filled the clearing like fallen stars. It was quite a beautiful sight, suddenly interrupted by the sound of armor being taken off.

Mordelia turned around to see Erwin removing his armor pieces. "Uhm, what are you doing Erwin?" She had a sneaking suspicion she already knew.

He smiled, "It's time for my payment, don't you think?"

Mordelia let out a long breath, she didn't want to blow her cover, but she was not going to "pay" this man. "Listen, I appreciate what you've done for me, but I'm just not interested."

Erwin frowned, in the middle of undoing his trousers. "That's not how this works, missy. I did something for you, now you have to do something for me."

Mordelia didn't respond. She wanted to get out of there before things got any more intense.

Erwin grabbed her arm as she attempted to leave. "You aren't going anywhere until I get my payment." He pulled her close to him, trapping her arms against her sides.

_Damn it! No, no, no! This can't be happening! _Mordelia was powerless to grab her dagger, or use magic. If she did, she would only hurt herself in the process.

Erwin began kissing her neck when an idea sprang into Mordelia's mind. Without thinking of the consequences she opened her palm and cast a spell. There was a flash of light and the ghostly image of a man appearing behind Erwin.

"Hello, Listener," A deep voice said from the man, "How may I serve you?"

Erwin suddenly stopped what he was doing and turned his head ot look behind him. "Who the hell are you?" He shouted.

The ghostly man took a look at the scene before him, "Ah, I see what the problem is." Before anyone could make a move, the man had dashed forward and plunged an ethereal dagger into Erwin's spine.

Erwin's grip tightened on Mordelia and his eyes widened. Mordelia shook him off, backing away as his body slumped to the ground. His eyes stared blankly ahead as his blood began to pool around him. Mordelia gave him a good kick anyways, for the trouble he had caused her. Then she turned towards the ghost man.

"Thank you, I didn't think that would work." She said. "Who are you though? Astrid just said you were a legend of the Dark Brotherhood."

The ghost man approached Mordelia, he wore a hooded robe which hid his face. "I am Lucien Lachance. Former Speaker of the Dark Brotherhood."

Mordelia gasped, "It's an honor to meet you. And thank you for the help."

Lucien bowed his head, "You are the Listener, it is my honor to serve you."

Mordelia blushed, she wasn't used to being treated so highly. Usually she was the one in the background, watching and listening. She glanced down at the dead body. "I guess I should probably get out of here before someone comes looking for us."

"That would be wise," Lucien agreed. "Do you require my services further?"

"No. I think it's best if I sneak into town myself and grab my things. I think people would get suspicious seeing a ghostly man."

"Very well. My blade is yours if you ever need it." With that, Lucien vanished in a flash of light leaving Mordelia alone with the dead Erwin.

It wasn't too difficult for Mordelia to retrieve her items from the inn, she just made sure to avoid any guards. After retrieving her things she made her way north out of town. She stopped after walking for an hour and slipped off the path into the trees. She found a sheltered outcropping of rock not too far from the main road. There she lay out her bedroll and made a small fire for warmth.

Mordelia washed her face in a small stream before snuggling down into her fur-lined bedroll. She grabbed Gaius Maro's traveling schedule from her pack. "Alright, let's see what your plans are Maro. It's Sundas today which means …" She studied the traveling schedule, "Maro will be in Solitude tomorrow." Mordelia snorted, "Hmph, not going back there anytime soon. Let's see…"

After a careful study of the schedule Mordelia decided she would head to Whiterun and kill Maro there. She had a house in Whiterun she could always escape to, and that way if she was early she wouldn't have to wait around an inn.


	16. Chapter 16

"Welcome home my thane." Mordelia about jumped out of her skin when she walked into her home in Whiterun. She had forgotten Lydia was living with her.

"By the nine, Lydia! Don't scare me like that!" Mordelia threw Lydia an irritated glare.

"Please excuse me, thane," Lydia apologized.

Mordelia shook her head, "No, it's fine. Sorry for yelling at you. It's just been awhile. How are things in Whiterun?"

Lydia thought for a moment, "Things have been the same. Well I guess not completely the same, Danica finally found someone willing to help with the Gildergreen."

"Oh? How did that turn out?" Danica had approached Mordelia the first time she entered Whiterun, asking if she would be willing to help heal the giant tree in the middle of the city. Mordelia wasn't interested, she had more important matters on her mind, such as almost being killed by her ex-lover.

"Some Orc named Maz'na. Supposedly she's also the Dragonborn, but I'm not so sure about that." Lydia shrugged. "Anyways, the Gildergreen was replaced with a sapling from the parent tree. It's pretty small, but I swear it grows more every time I see it."

"Interesting, I'll have to take a walk up there and check it out then." The business about a Dragonborn was of no interest to Mordelia, growing up on the small island of Solstheim she had not heard of the Prophecy of the Dragonborn.

"Oh you should, thane. The flowers are quite stunning." Lydia helped Mordelia with her pack, "What brings you back to Whiterun, my thane? And where in Skyrim did you get that armor?" She was looking disapprovingly at the black and red garb of the Brotherhood. "You look like you belong in some sort of Daedra worshiping cult."

Mordelia scratched her neck, cringing on the inside of how accurate Lydia's description was. "It was … a gift. From a friend."

Lydia didn't seem to believe her, but just said, "Well, if you're going to be walking around Whiterun you may want to change into something more … pleasant."

"Yes, yes, of course." Mordelia brushed Lydia away, "I'm not planning on staying long anyways. Just passing through."

Lydia stepped aside, "Well if you need anything I will be here, thane."

Mordelia nodded and took her pack upstairs to empty into her chest.

Mordelia wandered through the streets of Whiterun, looking as though she was lost in her daydreams when she was actually planning escape routes and finding hiding spots. She had taken Lydia's advice and changed into a plain dress before leaving Breezehome, although she still had her glass dagger strapped to her hip, an assassin never went anywhere unarmed.

According to Maro's schedule he would be arriving the next morning at Dragonsreach, and would be sleeping in the Bannered Mare. Mordelia had yet to decide where she wanted to make her kill, she figured it would be easiest to assassinate him in his sleep, but she needed to scope out the two areas before making her decision. It would be tricky to assassinate Maro in or around Dragonsreach, there always seemed to be a plentiful amount of guards nearby. Mordelia wasn't sure being thane would help her talk her way out of murder.

In the end, Mordelia decided to go with her first idea; sneaking into the Bannered Mare and killing Maro in his sleep.

Mordelia snuck around the outside of the Bannered Mare, melting into the shadows cast by the glow of the moon. During her investigation of the inn earlier that day she had found out which room was Maro's. Fortunately for her there was a window she could access the room through. Unfortunately for her, the window was on the second floor of the building. Mordelia wasn't a fan of heights and her climbing skills were definitely not great, but it was either this or risk being caught by one of the late night drinkers inside.

Mordelia looked up. _It's not _that _high…_ Thankfully her height would give her an advantage, she only had to climb a few feet before she could reach the windowsill with her hands.

She looked around, scanning the area for guards before taking a breath and starting to climb. She used chinks in the wood boards and the decorative woodwork for hand and foot holds. Mordelia managed to make it to the windowsill without a problem. She stopped, white-knuckle hands gripping the sill, and listened. All she heard was the rumbling snore of a man.

_Good. He's asleep._ Mordelia pulled herself up and into the room, dropping softly to the floor inside.

The room was dark, the only light from the open window Mordelia had just crawled through. A small bed stood to her left. Her target lay fast asleep, his armor scattered on the floor around the bed.

Mordelia drew her blade and crept forward slowly, her leather-clad feet not making a sound.

"Ou-!" Mordelia clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle a sudden cry of pain. She had stubbed her toed on one of Maro's boots. She froze where she stood, toes throbbing. Maro stirred in his sleep, mumbling something incoherent but soon went back to snoring.

Mordelia let out a breath. That could have gone really bad. She quickly finished the job, slicing Maro's throat with her dagger. She held a hand over his mouth until he stopped struggling, then slipped the incriminating letter into his pocket. She wiped her blade on the sheets and retreated to the window.

Now she had the fun of climbing back out the window. Mordelia sat on the windowsill, her heart beating hard against her chest. She looked down and immediately wished she hadn't. She knew the ground wasn't that far away, but the darkness of night made it seem like a fatal drop. She swallowed, her throat feeling suddenly dry.

"Come on, you can do this." Mordelia whispered to herself. She slowly, carefully turned around on the windowsill so her front was towards the building. Then she lowered herself gently down until her feet found the edge of some decorative trim. She gingerly continued lowering herself down bit by bit until she felt her feet touch solid ground. Mordelia let go of the building and flopped ungracefully to the ground, her trembling legs giving way underneath her.

"Thank Sithis, solid ground," Mordelia breathed with relief, "I'm never doing that again."


	17. Chapter 17

"Just relax, Veezara. Here, take this. You'll feel better soon." Mordelia heard Babette say as she handed a potion to the Argonian. Mordelia had come home to a confusing scene; Veezara curled up on the floor in a pool of blood, Babette comforting the injured Argonian, Festus pacing around muttering under his breath, Astrid waving her arms in the air and yelling. Nazir was the only one who seemed relatively calm. _Where is Gabriella?_ "I knew we shouldn't have let that damn jester stay here! Now look at what's happened!" Astrid let out an exasperated yell. Mordelia stood at the bottom of the stairs to the grotto. She was afraid to ask what had happened, she had a sneaking suspicion she knew who was behind it all. Astrid suddenly caught sight of Mordelia, "You," She pointed her finger at Mordelia, "I know you killed Maro, but we have bigger problems right now." Mordelia stepped forward, casting an anxious glance at Veezara. He had a nasty wound on his leg. Mordelia hoped he would be alright, she liked the friendly Argonian. "What happened here?" Mordelia asked. "It seems your little friend decided to have a mental breakdown." Astrid glared at Mordelia. "As you saw he wounded Veezara, tried to kill me, and then ran away! I just knew we shouldn't have trusted that lunatic!" Mordelia almost couldn't believe what she was hearing, she knew Cicero was a little off his rocker, but he didn't seem like the kind to suddenly start killing everyone around him. Her shocked expression prompted Festus to put in a word. "I'm afraid what Astrid says is true. He dashed around her slashing and stabbing. It would have been funny if he wasn't trying murder us all." Festus grumbled. "Don't forget the ranting and raving," Nazir chimed in, "About how the Night Mother is the true leader of the Dark Brotherhood and Astrid is just a pretender." Astrid flinched at those accusatory words. "The little fool is going to pay," She said under her breath. She looked back at Mordelia again, "Listen, we've got to deal with this problem. Or more accurately, you've got to deal with this problem." "Me?" Mordelia said in a squeaky voice. She cleared her throat, "Me? What am I supposed to do?" "You need to find the miserable fool and end his life!" Astrid yelled. "But first," Her voice softened, "I need you to find my husband. Make sure he's alright. He ran after Cicero in a fit of rage. They disappeared somewhere into the wild." "Okay, but how am I supposed to find out where he went?" "Search Cicero's room, maybe you'll find something in there that could give you a clue to where he may have gone. If you find something, let me know right away." Astrid turned and said over her shoulder, "I've got to see that everyone else is reasonably unharmed." Mordelia shook her head in disbelief. She still couldn't believe Cicero would actually do something like this. She made her way out of the grotto to the bedroom area of the Sanctuary. She stumbled into Gabriella on the way. "Oh thank goodness you're alright!" Mordelia said with relief. "When I didn't see you in the grotto I was worried something had happened. You're not hurt at all, are you?" She looked Gabriella over. Gabriella gave her a half-hearted smile, "No, I'm fine. A bit emotionally shaken, but I'll be alright. It was a terrifying scene, however beautiful in some respects. That man sure knows how to wield a blade." "I'm just glad you're not hurt. Poor Veezara though," Mordelia said sadly, "You think he will be okay?" "I'm sure Babette will have him back on his feet in no time." "That's true. She knows alchemy better than anyone." Mordelia nodded. "What happened anyways? Did something set Cicero off? Why did he suddenly just go berserk? That doesn't seem like him." Gabriella sighed, "I'm not sure if something specific set him off, but I can't blame him for his actions. We mocked him and disrespected the Old Ways openly in front of him. I must admit, our actions were shameful." Gabriella paused for a moment. "He must die, of course. I assume Astrid gave you the task of hunting him down?" "Yes," Mordelia said quietly. She wasn't sure how she felt about being the one assigned to kill Cicero, after all, she had formed a friendship with the little man. But if what everyone was saying was true, it might be for the better. "Yes, Astrid told me to find him and kill him. She said I might find something in his room to help me locate him." "Hmmm, I wish I could help you, but I always avoided Cicero if I could." Gabriella suddenly did a very un-Gabriella like thing; she reached forward and embraced Mordelia. "Sithis guide your path, Sister," Gabriella whispered into Mordelia's ear. Mordelia didn't even have time to reciprocate the hug before it ended. "Uhhh, thank you." She wasn't sure what to say, Gabriella never showed such concern before, it made Mordelia feel a bit nervous. Gabriela walked off without another word and Mordelia made her way to Cicero's room. It must be the worst room in the Sanctuary, the back walls of the room were crumbling into piles on the pitted stone floor. A bed sat crookedly to one side, a few bare pelts lain on top of it, and a wooded table balanced precariously on three legs in the center of the room. On top of the wooden table was a stack of journals. _Maybe these will give me a clue._ Four of the journals were labeled with numbers, the other one was left open. Fresh ink still glistened on the parchment. Mordelia picked up the journal and read. Nothing seemed to stick out to her about where Cicero may have gone, all the journal talked about was how happy Cicero was to finally have a place to stay with the Night Mother. _Might as well start with number one. _Mordelia shrugged her shoulders and picked up the first journal. The first thing Mordelia noticed when she began reading journal One was that Cicero no longer referred to himself in the third person. This shocked her a bit, she had thought Cicero was always the kooky jester she knew him to be. The first journal yielded nothing, simply talking about Cicero's contracts with the Dark Brotherhood of Cyrodiil and how he felt the Brotherhood should be expanded. Journal Two was lacking any hints, but the story it told brought tears to Mordelia's eyes. "Oh Cicero, what have you gone through?" She whispered. Journal Three was no better. It revealed more of Cicero's troubled past with the Brotherhood, how he had killed the jester whose soul haunted him and tended to the Night Mother as her Keeper. The fourth Journal contained Cicero's descent into madness. It was heart-wrenching to read how Cicero struggled alone. Mordelia wished she could find Cicero and tell him everything would be okay, but she still hadn't found any clues and Astrid had told her to kill him. Mordelia picked up the final journal and read. She noticed Cicero mentioned something about an old Sanctuary in Dawnstar, and that he was going to go there without Astrid. Mordelia's heart began to pound, this was the clue she had been searching for. She wiped away her tears and shoved the other journals into her pack, tearing out the door to find Astrid. 


End file.
